Uganda has witnessed the murder of gay rights activists and a bill to punish homosexuality with the death penalty. According to the documentary God Loves Uganda, this persecution can be traced back to American missionaries.
Directed by Academy Award winner Roger Ross Williams, the film profiles a wide array of people, from a Ugandan bishop who was excommunicated for defending LGBT rights to an American pastor who thinks gays were responsible for the Holocaust. (The Ugandan parliament invited the latter to speak for five hours.) Another preacher in the picture, the U.S.-trained Martin Ssempa, eagerly shows gay bondage and scat porn at his church.
To its detriment, the film doesn't explore how much of the anti-gay bigotry in Uganda is locally sourced. That undercuts what is otherwise a harrowing documentary.
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